


Pushing Buttons

by Socket



Category: Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-23
Updated: 2016-05-23
Packaged: 2018-06-09 20:58:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6923119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Socket/pseuds/Socket
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Roslin and Lee get stuck in an elevator together and are forced to confront their past. Unbeknownst to them, Dee has drugged Lee in an attempt to re-spark their marriage... lust and misunderstanding ensues.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pushing Buttons

**Author's Note:**

> **Timeline:** The Woman King
> 
>  **A/N:** I completely lifted this plot idea from "Sunset Beach" (totally and unabashedly ripped it off). The dialogue is pretty much the only thing I can claim to be my own.

Lee Adama sits on the beige sofa of hotel room 163 and stares at the wall, stifling a bored sigh.

He and Dee had decided to splurge on a hotel room for their anniversary. Well, it was her idea really. Something about needing to reconnect after a strained period in their relationship, but it seems like yet another opportunity for her to hold his almost-affair with Kara over his head.

He sips at the wine Dee ordered and immediately regrets it as an unpleasant aftertaste hits the back of his throat. He puts his glass down and glances over at the bathroom door. Dee's still in the shower, taking her sweet time. He checks his watch again; they're fifteen minutes late for their restaurant reservation, and even though the restaurant is only downstairs in the hotel lobby, Lee hates being late.

Apollo picks-up his wine glass again and takes a giant swig. The wine may taste objectionable, but it will take the edge off his evening with Dee. Lee drains his glass and places it on the table.

Suddenly feeling flush, he fidgets with his shirt collar, undoing the top button of his shirt. Lee shifts uncomfortably in his seat as the room becomes unbearably stuffy, then stands and walks over to the only window in the hotel room. He tries to open it, but the latch adamantly refuses to budge. Flustered, he undoes another button and takes a deep breath.

"Dee? Are you nearly ready?" he calls out impatiently.

*****************

Dee stands on the other side of the bathroom door, grinning to herself. She's been ready for ten minutes, but is waiting for the viagra she's slipped into Lee's drink to take effect.

She'd thought that when Lee got over his thing with Kara, that he'd be hers – but there was still something holding him back. And now, she realises, it was always there - hovering in the dark, so well hidden, she wonders if Lee even knows what it is.

Desperation has driven her to this lowly tactic - because, despite his declarations of a new beginning, Lee has become complacent again.

They had been happy, but it was short-lived - it didn't become a permanent part of them. Lee quickly grew bored of her again, and so, Dee figured, if she makes Lee concentrate on her - make him really want her, then he'll finally put his doubts aside. Finally give them a real chance at happiness.

*****************

Getting no response from his wife and growing increasingly irritated, Lee crosses the room and knocks on the bathroom door. "Dee?"

"I'm almost done," comes Dualla's reassuring tone through the door. "Finish your drink, I'll be out in a minute."

Lee paces the room, running his hands through his hair, overcome by a surge of ferocious energy. He returns his attention back to the window and tries to force it open, but the glass nearly cracks, so he marches towards the door of their suite and pulls it open, deciding to pop down to the hotel foyer and see if he can push back their dinner reservations, since Dee clearly won't be ready in time.

He leaves the confinement of their room and makes his way along the elegantly furnished hall to the elevators.

Apollo presses the call button for the elevator and bounces up-and-down on his heels, his energy increasing. Then, a strange tingling starts in his feet and gradually spreads up through his body. 'What the frak is wrong with me?' he thinks, 'and damn if it's just as hot in the hallway as in my room'. He undoes another button on his shirt and feels sweat starting to form all over his body, he wipes his forehead with the back of his hand and sighs with irritation.

The elevator doors open and with relief, Lee steps inside. All he needs is fresh air - soothing, cooling air. Then he'll be fine, then his mind will clear.

The doors shut behind him and it's only then that Apollo realises that he isn't alone. Laura Roslin stands opposite him, arms folded across her chest, leaning against the elevator wall.

They acknowledge each other with a curt nod, but don't speak: there's nothing left to say.

He presses the button for the ground floor and the elevator starts to move downwards.

Lee glances sideways at Roslin. She looks good. He'd forgotten how green her eyes were, how toned her body was, how seductive her smile could be, and, of course, the sexy lilt of her voice… he's so wrapped-up in his thoughts, he doesn't realise he's staring.

Laura looks down at herself, checking that nothing is amiss and then glances inquisitively at Lee. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she asks.

Embarrassed at being caught out, Apollo feigns innocence. "Pardon?"

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she repeats, her arms dropping to her side as she shifts uncomfortably under his scrutiny.

"You just... you look great…" his voice trails off while his gaze intensifies... roaming her body.

Self-consciously, Laura runs her hands through her long red hair.

"New blouse?" he asks.

Laura scowls. "Yes, actually."

Lee grins. "That must be it," his eyes lower to her blouse. Her figure-hugging, low-cut blouse… he can see the outline of her bra through the material, can see every curve of her body... and the blood rushes from his head to another region of his body. 'Oh frak!' Apollo looks away from her and focuses his attention on the dial of the elevator. They're just passing floor 5, 'concentrate on the dial', he instructs himself. Floor 4, 'almost there, hang on'... Floor 3, 'just hang on'.

A strange sound reverberates through the elevator as it comes to a complete halt. The lights switch off and blackness swallows them.

'Frak!' Lee thinks as he fumbles in the dark, pressing several buttons, desperately trying to re-start the elevator. But his efforts have no effect; the lift remains motionless.

Laura moves beside him, as she does so, her shoulder brushes lightly against his. A tremor runs through Lee and he pounds on the elevator panel, possessed by an urgency to get as far away from Roslin as possible. "Does nothing in this hotel work?" he cries out in frustration, slamming his palm futilely against the buttons. "First the window… now this!"

"Calm down!" Laura's husky voice murmurs close to his ear. Too close.

Quickly, Lee steps away from her. He runs his hands through his hair… trying to keep his mind off of what he'd really like to be doing in the dark with Laura Roslin right now.

The emergency power kicks-in and a red light flickers on overhead, saturating the elevator with a seductive low light.

Laura picks-up the elevator phone, which has a direct line to hotel reception and holds it to her ear. "Hello this is Laura Roslin… yes… myself and Commander Adama," Lee hears a hitch in her voice, there's a long pause and then she continues. "And how long will that take?" Another long pause. "Okay… thank you."

Roslin hangs up and sighs disgruntledly.

Lee's heart sinks. "What did they say?"

"A power-surge overloaded the hotel's mainframe, they've lost power to secondary systems. All the elevators have been affected, the receptionist said it could take a while for them to get full power back online."

He stares incredulously at her. "How long exactly is a while?"

Laura shrugs. "Several hours maybe."

Panic encompasses Lee – there's no way he can fend off this sexual urge for several hours! It's too strong - he can't breathe, can't focus… all he can think of is Laura's body pressed against his, her lips meeting his… her long slender legs wrapped around him… ripping off that short, tight skirt with his teeth… good gods, he's never been this turned on in his life!

He leans back against the wall and shuts his eyes tightly. Maybe if he blocks her from his vision, he can keep his desire under control...

Concerned, Laura takes a step towards him. "Captain, are you alright?"

He pulls back from her touch. "I'm not a Captain anymore," he reminds her gruffly, trying to keep his mind clear of impure thoughts.

"Force of habit," she replies quietly, trying not to take his recoil from her personally. "You'll always be 'Captain Apollo' to me." Then she mutters under her breath. "Even if you're undeserving of the title."

Lee opens his eyes and peers into hers, and he sees it housed there, the disappointment that this is the way it's turned out between them.

She attempts another move towards him and out stretched her arm, but Lee holds up both his hands in defence. "Don't come any closer," he warns.

Laura arches her eyebrows. "What is it? You've been acting peculiarly since you stepped on the elevator."

It's past the moment of embarrassment, so Lee meets her eye. "Remember that night in the cold storage room, when you accidentally… stimulated me?"

Roslin nods as her mind flicks back to that night. Somewhere between the state of waking and sleeping she'd lost all sense of time and place and had thought she was in bed with Adar, and she'd reached out and fondled Lee's - well, it didn't bear dwelling on. It had been an embarrassing moment for both of them. Laura still feels awkward about it, poor Lee had been aroused for the rest of the night because of it and they'd had to remain pressed up against each other for warmth, which only compounded the situation. It had been a very long, sexually charged, restless night.

"Yes," she replies. "I remember."

"Well… lets just call this incident number two."

Laura glances down at his problem. "But I haven't done anything to... provoke you!"

Lee shrugs. "Well, Madame President, it seems your mere presence is enough!"

"Think of other things - we're going to be here for a while."

"Yes, I just need to focus on something else." Lee closes his eyes, but every thought he has is invaded by images of Roslin. Smiling, laughing, beckoning him towards her, undressing, taking him into her arms...

Apollo shakes his head and undoes another button of his shirt.

"Any luck?" she asks.

"No," Lee replies and opens his eye, staring at her and trying to resist the urge to strip her naked. His skin burns, the heat melting his resolve. He starts to slide down the wall, unable to bear the tension anymore.

Laura is suddenly beside him, gripping him, trying to support him as he slips to the floor. He breathes in her perfume, the sight of the smooth expanse of her neck beckons to him, she's so close, so beautiful, so sexy - he wants to cover her skin in kisses, wants to rip her blouse open and -

"Don't touch me!" he yells and pushes Roslin away.

Laura lands on the floor on her backside and glares at him. "Nice manners Captain, which charm school did you graduate from?"

He looks at her resolutely. "I did it for your sake! Just stay over there, okay?" he mutters and closes his eyes again, trying to purge her from his brain.

His body is burning up, he wipes his brow of sweat again. He can feel his skin simmer with heat, he just wants to peel his clothes off, wants to peel Laura Roslin's clothes off and then lick her from head to -

"It's been a while since we were alone together," the President interrupts his lurid thoughts.

Lee opens his eyes and studies her, but doesn't reply.

She sits opposite him, her legs stretched out in front of her, crossed at the ankle, her back pressing against the wall.

The red light overhead flickers momentarily, then settles again. It casts a shadow over Laura's face, but Lee can read all he needs to from the inflection of her voice.

"How did we end-up like this, Lee?" she asks.

Apollo shrugs. "Life's unexpected twists and turns separated us, that's all."

"Billy," Laura says squarely, she leans forward, out of the shadow and holds Lee's eye. "That's when it changed irrevocably."

Apollo averts his gaze, and nervously slips his jacket off, laying it beside him. His hands flitter anxiously through his hair and he sighs.

"Billy," Lee repeats the name as if it were a forbidden word.

Laura observes his discomfort and feels a pang of satisfaction.

Lee forces himself not to think of Billy, not to re-visit the guilt. Then anger fuels him and he glares fiercely at Laura, retorting. "Caine!"

Roslin's head snaps back at the deceased Admiral's name, as if Lee had just slapped her.

Lee's expression is defiant as he declares. "I can highlight your mistakes too, Madame President, if I chose. You're not blameless!"

"I never claimed to be!"

"Well you certainly acted as if you had moral superiority!"

Roslin's brow furrows, she is about to yell back, when she realises just how tired she is of feuding with him. This private war between them has gone on for too long. Softly, she replies. "I know my shortcomings, Lee - but you seem to think you're immune to fault."

"I'm not immune," he protests, then says sadly. "In fact - I'm the worst offender. At least you can say that what you did, you did for the people. What happened with Billy... if I'd handled the situation with Dee differently, then maybe..."

Laura sighs heavily and shakes her head sadly. "You could fill infinity with 'maybe's', Billy is gone and there's nothing to be done about it now."

He meets her eye. "You loved him, didn't you?"

Laura smiles. "More than I realised," she pauses. "But that's always the way, isn't it? You don't know what you've got till it's gone."

Lee wanted to reach out and touch her, to comfort her, instead, he said gently. "Seems so long ago now, those days... the three of us working towards the same goal."

Roslin's eyes mist and she swallows back the repressed emotion. "Yes. We're all that's left, you and I... and we failed," she murmurs with bitter disappointment. "We had our chance and we failed."

Lee gazes at her, the defeated expression that consumes her delicate features diffuse any residual anger in him. Laura's hair falls about her face as she glances down at her hands and Lee wants so badly to bring the old Laura back, the one he was once so besotted with, the one who filled him with confidence and hope... the one he lost sight of oh so long ago.

"Maybe," Lee says gently. "But we had it good for a while."

Laura raises her head and smiles. "Yes, we did."

Her smile touches him and he's filled with the desire to pull her close, to embrace her, to share in her grief - because they both own it; it's their legacy - what they had wanted to do and what they had failed to do.

"I guess nothing lasts," she says rhetorically, the disenchantment still in her voice but her expression is one of acceptance.

Lee shakes his head in disagreement. "Everything lasts - in our memory. I still hear your words, remember your conviction, feel your inspiration. You changed me - whatever is good in me comes from you, you instilled it."

Laura is silenced by this admission. She studies Lee, surprised by the softness in his voice and the kindness in his eyes... these days his glances in her direction are so harsh and his tone unforgiving.

Now, Lee's eyes shine with remembered affection as he continues. "You taught me to trust again, I'd forgotten how."

Her smile widens and then she raises her arms in the air, indicating their current situation. "And yet - here we are, on opposite sides. Again."

"Then come over to my side!" Lee says playfully and beckons her to him.

"The dark side?" she mocks.

"Come on, you'll like it over here, I promise," he pats the floor beside him and smiles impishly.

Slowly, Laura lifts herself up and crawls the short distance to his side. She settles next to him.

"See, it's not so bad over here, is it?" Lee teases.

Roslin grins and playfully knocks his shoulder. "I've been in worse predicaments."

They sit in silence for a moment, the humming of the emergency light hangs in the air.

Roslin studies the pannelling of the elevator wall, lost in thought.

Lee watches her closely, trying not to long for the softness of her body pressed against his or think of the look of lust he wants to see in her eyes, or the caresses he wants her to bestow... the feel of her fingertips running leisurely down his back or gripping him tightly, fingernails digging into his skin as he makes love to her passionately and -

"You tried to adapt me to you and I allowed it, that's where we went wrong," she says reflectively and looks directly at him.

Her lips are a few inches from his; full and alluring. He tries to focus, tries to control the urges slowly consuming him. "What do you mean?"

"You desperately wanted me to be something I wasn't, so much so, that you convinced yourself of it. And I let you. I knew what you were doing, but I did nothing to correct it until it was unavoidable. I needed your friendship... needed your alliance, I wouldn't have made it this far without you. I'd still be in the brig or worse." Laura holds his eye. "Did I ever say thank you?"

"Yes, in a thousand different ways," he murmurs, hypnotised by her enigmatic green eyes.

Her breath catches at the intensity of his gaze. "Why are you being so lenient all of a sudden?"

"I'm trying to make amends."

"You are?" she asks cautiously, unable to look away from him.

He lowers his voice to a seductive timbre. "Have I ever told you how beautiful you are when you're suspicious?"

Apollo's intense blue eyes pin her to the spot and like too many times in the past, she feels lost. Feels overwhelmed by longing.

He leans closer to her. She feels the heat of his breath against her neck and the familiar tingles that his closeness always brings. Goosebumps rise across her skin and she feels her body starting to respond to him... feels her skin flush, her throat tighten, her stomach knot and her blood pound with desire. Laura struggles to keep her feelings for him contained, but as his arm presses against hers and his thigh brushes against hers, she closes her eyes, weakened.

"Look at me," he implores.

When Laura doesn't respond, Lee reaches out and strokes the side of her face, her eyes flicker open and she is forced to meet his eyes.

Laura feels his heat pass into her, like a contangent and she looks about desperately. But there is no escape, no more hiding places. Lee feels her muscles tense as he runs his hand down her throat, relishing the feel of her skin. As his palm rests flat against her collar bone and his eyes fix on her, Laura's senses desert her and she stares into his eyes, mesmerised.

She reaches out her hand and traces his jaw with her fingertips... as she lowers her hand to his chest, she feels his heart thundering against her fingers.

He tilts his head and kisses her temple softly, grazing his chin against her cheek.

"What about your wife?" she whispers.

Tilting his head, Lee brushes his lips lightly against hers, murmuring. "It only feels right with you," and slips his hand behind her neck, gently drawing her closer.

He trails kisses down her throat. Laura moans and runs her hands up his back, gripping his shirt and pulling herself tautly against his chest. Lee brings his mouth down over Laura's, pressing his lips ardently to hers.

The heavy sweetness of wine invades Laura's mouth and she tangles her fingers in Lee's hair.

Lee's hands are rough and confident on her, her body suddenly alive, every nerve stimulated.

They roll on the elevator floor amidst ardent kisses and clothe discarding. Laura relishes the full weight of Lee pressing down on her and shifts her body beneath him, he settles between her legs and Laura deepens their kiss, wrapping her arms about his neck, drawing him closer to her.

*****************

Dee paces the hotel reception impatiently. After all her careful planning, she can't believe that this has happened. Lee's trapped in an elevator with that woman, doing who-knows-what! 'Frak it!' She'd put twice the recommended dose of viagra into his drink. He must be crawling the walls by now, over-come with lust... all concentrated on Laura frakkin' Roslin.

Dee leans across the reception desk, staring desperately at the receptionist who is trying to get through to the elevator via the emergency phone.

"Please hurry!" she cries.

*****************

Lee's hands roam beneath Laura's blouse, pushing the material up. His fingertips explore the newly exposed skin, relishing the smoothness. His mouth demands more from her and Laura responds by rolling Lee onto his back and straddling him. She draws back from him and moves her mouth down his body, running her tongue across his chest. Lee closes his eyes and relishes the sensations, then she returns her lips to his and his hands tangle in her hair... that long, luscious auburn hair that he's spent hours fantasising about.

Somewhere in the distance is a faint ringing…

Lee pushes his pelvis up into Laura, needing the contact, needing to feel her all around him…

"The phone," she murmurs between kisses.

Lee's nails graze up her sides, exposing more flesh. "Ignore it," he growls, gently biting her ear lobe, then buries his face against her neck, embracing her tightly.

"What if they've fixed it? What if the elevator starts to move and we're - "

Lee slips his hand between her legs and Laura presses her hands flush against his chest, her spine arching as he touches her in just the right way.

"Oh my gods!" she cries out.

Lee grins. "You were saying?"

Laura lowers her head and bites his lower lip playfully. "Nothing," she murmurs.

But the phone continues to ring.

Resignedly, Laura draws back from his kiss. "I have to answer it," she says breathlessly and hoists herself up, leaving Apollo yearning for her.

She moves towards the phone and picks up the receiver. "Roslin."

Lee gets to his feet and moves beside Laura. He circles her waist with his arms and trails kisses along her neck, all the while, his hands explore her body without boundary.

As Lee's fingers graze her intimately, Laura suppresses groans of pleasure, trying desperately to focus on the voice at the other end of the phone... it sounded like Dualla.

Lee presses himself against Roslin as his arousal grows and Laura struggles to maintain her composure... but then Dee's voice finds its way to her… Suddenly, Laura is flung back into reality. She holds tightly onto the phone as Dee explains the situation.

"Can you repeat that?" Laura mumbles, extricating herself from Lee's embrace and fighting to keep him at arms distance.

Apollo stares uncomprehendingly at Laura.

There's a long pause, then Roslin nods. "I see," her voice cracks.

Laura hangs up the phone and shakes her head.

Lee tries to pull her into an embrace, but she shrugs out of his arms and pulls from him, closing her eyes and sighing with barely contained grief.

Lee grasps her hand and turns her to face him, she pushes him away and refuses to make eye contact.

"Laura? What's wrong?"

She reaches down and retrieves her discarded blouse, slips it back on and does up the buttons quickly.

Lee stares at her, confused. "Who did you speak to? What did they say?"

"Your wife drugged you," Roslin says flatly.

Lee stares blankly at her. "What?"

"Your sexual attraction to me is due to a viagra pill that Dee put in your wine," Laura informs him coolly and tucks her blouse back into the waistband of her skirt. How had she let it get this far? How had she let her judgement get so side-tracked? Why had she let herself believe that Lee could ever feel that way about her?

Apollo recalls the bitter aftertaste of the wine Dee had ordered and stares at Laura in disbelief. "Dee spiked my drink?"

Roslin looks at him squarely. "Have you two ever considered couples counselling? I mean, in my book - drugging your husband to get sex is not the sign of a healthy marriage!"

"Laura - " he reaches out to her, but Roslin shies away from his touch.

"Please don't..." she implores, the heat from his arms still lingers on her skin and she can't risk becoming intoxicated again... who knows if she'll have the resolve to resist him this time.

Laura turns her back on him and leans her forehead against the elevator pannelling. She sighs, her body still tingling with the anticipation of making love to him. "What was I thinking?" she mumbles. "I mean - seriously, what was I thinking?!" she laughs humourlessly.

Lee grabs her arm and spins her around to face him. "You were thinking the same as me... that this feels right. That we feel right."

He leans in close to her, but she shakes her head. "You don't want me, Lee. Not really."

"You're the only one I want."

"That's the pill talking."

"No," he insists and reaches out his hand, stroking the side of her face. "Dee and I aren't having sex because I don't want her. And the reason I don't I want her is because she's not you!" he declares adamantly.

"I'm not your problem, Lee - "

"Yes you are!" he yells passionately and strikes the elevator pannelling beside her. "You've always been my problem! And somehow, it's all gotten frakked up. I thought I could cure it with Dee. I really thought that if I focused all my energy on her, then maybe I'd forget you... but that didn't work, so then I moved onto Kara - and that didn't work either. You were still there, in the back of my mind."

Roslin stares at him, bewildered. "Lee, you're not making sense - "

"I cut you out of my life in order to protect myself. I settled for Dee because she was safe. I searched for reasons not to love you; endless excuses, rational and not, because I was so scared of the strength of my feelings for you," he cups Laura's face. "From the moment we met you made me forget everything - my old feelings for Kara, my father, the military... I tossed it all aside for you. Because of that, I feared you. So I did what I thought was best at the time - I abandoned you." He held her gaze, his voice filled with sadness. "I regret that decision every day, Laura. And now, all I'm left with is the idea that, one day, this will get better... that one day you won't be my first and last thought..."

Roslin's eyes brim with distrust. "You're just saying that to get me to - "

Lee captures her mouth with his, kissing her ardently.

He draws back, peering deep into her eyes. "Do you think I'm lying?"

Laura shakes her head and reaches for him, her arms wrap around him, her fingers gripping his tunic, willing him to continue. Lee pushes her up against the elevator wall and her fingers rake through his hair as his right hand journey's downwards, between her thighs.

Urgently, Laura grips him, and together they slide to the floor, tearing into each others clothing and stripping off layers.

Their lips crush against each other. Lee balances his weight on top of her as he gazes into her eyes. Gently, he enters her, moving slowly at first, letting her get accustomed to the feel of him, letting her set the pace.

He kisses her tenderly and she groans as he thrusts deep into her. Laura wraps her legs around him and grips his shoulders, then slides her hands along his side to caress bare skin, pulling him tighter against her and whispering in his ear to go faster, harder… Lee responds, his groans mingle with hers as he plunges deeper into her.

Laura's arms flail out and she presses her palms against the elevator wall, her back arching as she orgasms… causing her hips to push up into him, which sends Lee over the edge.

They lay breathlessly together. He's inside of her still, listening to the erratic beat of her heart as she comes down from the high. He places tender kisses against the hollow of her throat, blazing a trail up towards her jaw and then to her lips.

When his lips meet hers, Laura returns the force of his kiss.

"I've wanted this for the longest time," she whispers in-between kisses.

His countenance is solemn as he replies. "Me too."

Gently, Lee draws out of her and lays beside her, his eyes fixed on her face, studying her.

Laura stretches out and turns on her side to face him, a satisfied smile on her face. "Captain Apollo?"

He grins and kisses the tip of her nose. "Yes?"

But Laura doesn't finish her thought because the elevator starts to move and the overhead lights flicker back on.

Laura and Lee exchange a panicked look, then jump to their feet and gather-up their clothing, dressing as hurriedly as possible.

Lee is ready first and quickly does-up the buttons on Laura's blouse as she pulls-up the zip on her skirt and straightens her tousled hair.

The elevator bell chimes, indicating they have reached the ground floor. Laura and Lee shoot each other a sorrowful glance and quickly move apart.

The doors to the elevator open and Dee, Zarek and the hotel manager are standing ready to greet them.

Laura and Apollo step silently from the elevator. The hotel manager launches into a series of apologies and Dee flings herself at Lee, embracing him zealously, while Zarek takes Roslin's arm and whispers something in her ear.

Over Dee's shoulder, Lee's eyes never leave Roslin as she and Zarek start towards the hotel lobby. Tom holds the Presidents elbow in a way that Lee thinks is too intimate for mere colleagues, and he is struck by jealousy. Laura glances backwards and smiles sadly at Lee, his eyes convey his dismay, but Laura forces herself to look away and refocus her attention on Zarek.

Lee feels winded. It's getting harder for him to watch Laura walk away, harder for him to find reasons to drive her away.

Roslin disappears around the corner and he turns his attention back to Dee.

"I was so worried about you," she insists as she fawns at him.

Lee pulls out of her arms, an austere expression fixed on his face. "You drugged me. That's what you told Laura, right?" Lee demands, his eyes narrowing as he glares at his wife.

"When did you start calling her 'Laura'?" Dee queries.

"When did you start drugging my drinks?" Lee challenges.

The hotel manager looks embarrassed and quickly excuses himself, making a hasty exit.

Once alone, Dualla averts her eyes from Lee and her shoulders slump in defeat. "I had to, you left me no choice."

Lee shakes his head in disbelief. "We need to have a serious talk, this just isn't working anymore Dee."

Dualla lifts her head and holds his eye. "Alright, Lee. If we're going to do this, lets really do it."

He nods. "Okay, but not here - lets go to our room."

Dee turns from him and leads the way through the corridor, back up to their room: it was time for some home truths.


End file.
